Samurai X Fan Fiction / Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ History Lessons ❯ Part II ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

History Lessons

- by Julie (whirleeQ) and Rose (BuffyBot76)

- Part 2 of 4

"...So anyway, poor Shuichi said he had to hide in the boy's bathroom for nearly two hours before they gave up the search. Needless to say he was late for history class, which, if you knew Shuichi, was a tragedy. He's never late." Keiko's light hearted laughter filled the hut as she retold the tale Kurama had related quite grumpily to her and the others. The image it had projected in Keiko's mind had been somewhat amusing to say the least.

Kenshin smiled and laughed right along with her. They had been talking for hours now, and he was somewhat surprised at how easily the conversation came. She told him about her friends, and he told her stories about some of the more amusing drunken escapades of the Ishin Shisi. They talked about the future, the past, his favorite foods, her education. In fact, they talked about pretty much everything – except about his acts as an assassin.

She really was quite delightful company, now that they had gotten over their initial distrust of each other. In fact, he had not felt so… warm… in a very long while – if ever. It was nice to talk with someone who wasn’t judging him or trying to earn his favor.

“So, tell me, Keiko-dono. Are you a member of this Shuichi’s ‘fan club’?” He teased, his violet eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Me? Ah, no." Keiko scoffed, "I draw the line at fawning over a guy who's prettier than I am."

“I doubt that there would be any man that would fit that description, that I do,” Kenshin said offhandedly, and then immediately blushed when he realized what he had just said. “Er… so what does your friend Shuichi look like?” He quickly asked, hoping that she would not pick up on his embarrassment.

Keiko blinked in surprise. Had he just... complimented her? She shook off that thought. 'I must have been hearing things. Why would he say something like that? He barely knows me.' "Well, let's see... he's pretty tall, probably 5'11" or something like that. He's got these really bright green eyes and his hair is red, long too. And um... oh, well, he's nice looking, as I said earlier. He sort of looks like you... oh." Realizing what she'd just said, Keiko clammed up and diverted her eyes. 'Oh, no, I can't believe I just said that!'

Kenshin blinked his eyes, fairly sure that there was a hidden complement somewhere in there, and offered her a warm smile.

“At 5’11, he’s a lot taller than me though, that he is. Is he courting you?”

Amused laughter trickled from Keiko's lips. "Kur-ah, Shuichi? Courting me? Haha… no. I don't think I'm the kind of girl he would go for." She said honestly.

‘Then he is a fool,’ he thought to himself, as she smiled at him.

Suddenly, there was a burst of wind that threw the door to the hut open, bringing in with it a rush of wet, cold air.

He stood and made his way over to the door, where he had to fight the wind in order to force it to close.

When he turned back towards Keiko, he noticed that she was shivering.

“Are you cold, Keiko-dono? I can put another log on the fire, that I can. Oh, and I have some sake. Would you like some, Keiko-dono?” Kenshin asked, as he went to retrieve a jug that was sitting on top of a small chest, as well as two sake cups.

"Thank you. That would be nice." Keiko replied through lightly chattering teeth. "And, um, you can stop calling me -dono, now. Keiko will be just fine."

“Okay… Keiko,” Kenshin said warmly, as he handed her the small cup of sake.

Keiko took a tentative sip of the sake, not knowing what to expect. It was her first experience with alcohol after all, and a part of her felt a little giddy about drinking it. The warm liquid met her lips, and burned a path down her throat. A nice and surprisingly warm feeling began to spread throughout her body. Somewhat bemused, Keiko finished off the rest of the beverage; the additional warmth in her belly providing a measure of comfort against the cold air.

Even though the door was now closed again, the cold and wind from outside was pouring through the cracks between the boards of wood that made up the not very sturdy walls. Kenshin threw another log on the fire, and moved to sit next to Keiko, so that they could both share the jug of sake and the warmth of the fire. She had already finished her first cup, so he poured her some more before drinking from his own.

Keiko took another sip of sake before setting her glass aside. Daring a glance at the man sitting beside her, she realized how close he was, a lot closer than would seem appropriate, but at the moment she didn't really mind. She could feel the warmth his body was radiating, adding to the comfort her drink had already provided. Allowing her body to relax, Keiko gave a wistful sigh and ventured to continue their conversation.

"So, um... do you have any brothers or sisters?" She asked, the alcohol loosening her tongue a bit.

A flash of some emotion Keiko could not identify went through Kenshin’s eyes, and then he turned his head from her to the fire.

He swallowed thickly and in that moment, with the light from the fire playing off of his profile, and the somewhat longing expression on his face, he simply looked like a boy and not a killer.

“My family… died of cholera when I was ten. I… buried them, and was soon found by slavers. They took care of me for a short time, but then they were murdered. I… buried them as well, that I did.” He said in a quiet tone as he proceeded to down yet another sake. His eyes did not move from the flames while he spoke, and the hand that was holding his sake cup was trembling slightly.

Keiko gasped, one hand flying up to cover her parted lips as a chill of dread spread throughout her body. “Oh, no, I… I didn’t know! So sorry… I didn’t mean to bring up painful memories.” She apologized as best she could, but still, it upset her that she’d unknowingly opened old wounds.

He turned and offered her a small, sad smile, his violet eyes literally brimming with unguarded emotion.

”That’s quite alright, Keiko-do… Keiko. I have not thought about them in many years, that I have not. It has been a long time… a very long time since this unworthy one has had someone to talk to.”

Keiko felt an immense wave of sympathy wash over her and her eyes grew misty at the forlorn tone his voice had taken on. Overcome with the urge to comfort, Keiko reached out a hand and tentatively placed it over one that was closest to her "Well, for what it's worth, I'm here if you would like to talk." The look he shot her was piercing and Keiko backpedaled a bit, "I-I-I mean, only if you want to! You don't have to. Really." She amended, not wanting to be pushy.

Kenshin glared at her for a moment and then sighed. It really wasn’t her he was upset with. It was more that he had willingly told more about himself to this girl than to anyone since Hiko. Even Tomoe did not know the fate of his family.

Why was he talking now? Kenshin picked up a stick and started poking the embers in the hearth. The fire had died down a bit again, and so he threw on yet another log. The supply of wood was rapidly dwindling, but it still looked like it would be enough to get them through the storm and then…

And then what?

And then she’d probably be on her way and he’d be alone again.

“Gomen, Keiko, for my conduct – I did not mean to make you uncomfortable again. It is a habit that this unworthy one is really trying to change.” He admitted quietly.

'Unworthy one?' Keiko wasn't sure why he referred to himself in such a way. Her textbook hadn't said anything about how he spoke, after all. "You're welcome - and it's alright. Sometimes I'm too nosy for my own good." She confessed.

He was pleased to see her relax again, and at her request, he poured her more sake. The girl was keeping up with him, cup for cup, and for a moment he was concerned that she would drink herself into a stupor. She did not seem to be the type of girl who had much experience with sake.

“You should be careful with how much sake you drink Keiko. That you should.”

She shot him a cold ‘don’t tell me what to do’ look, and he couldn’t help but smile at her spirit. She was becoming more and more interesting to him by the moment, and he decided to ask her a few questions about herself. It’d be better if they got off the subject of him for the moment at any rate.

“So Keiko, do you have a husband or a fiancé in your… time?” He questioned, and then briefly choked on a mouthful of sake, when he realized what he had asked. He had intended to ask her about her family. He looked at her somewhat sheepishly.

“Gomen, Keiko-dono, I did not mean to be so… nosy… myself.” He said apologetically.

Keiko tried not to frown as she gave a reassuring reply, “Ah, that’s alright.” She said, even though her heart was clenching in her chest. “And, to answer your question, no, I don’t have anyone.” But even as she spoke, images of Yusuke and Botan flashed through her mind. Both of them, together and happy. Closing her eyes to shut out the bad memories, she continued, “I guess you could pretty much say we’re both alone, huh?”

He did not miss the small flash of pain in her eyes as she spoke, and he knew that much like him, there was once someone. Someone who was – for whatever reason – no longer there for her, and she was in pain about it.

He knew all about the pain of being alone.

Kenshin looked at her and sighed. Maybe it was the sake, maybe it was because she likened her loneliness to his own, or maybe it was just because of the way the glow from the fire played off of her hair. Whatever the reason was, his next words surprised even him.

“I wasn’t always alone. I… had a wife, once. She… she died.”

For some reason, Keiko felt tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. She was beginning to feel a strange connection with this man and she had no idea why, but, it was palpable all the same. That, or the sake was beginning to take effect. Either way, her next words slipped out before she could stop them, surprising herself as well as the former hitokiri.

“Yeah… I know.”

Kenshin’s eyes opened in shock, as he turned to look at the girl next to him. No one knew that. Well, a few former Ishin Shishi members knew, but definitely not the general populace. He was slightly suspicious once again, but when he looked at her, he could see the tears threatening to fall.

Tears for him and his loss.

No one shed tears for him. He was... unworthy of them.

He took her hand in his and squeezed it… but didn’t let it go afterwards. They were both quiet for a moment, both watching the fire and lost in their own thoughts, until he turned to her abruptly.

“How did you know?” He asked in a small voice.

Keiko was taken back by his tone, so... meek. Throughout their conversation they hadn't really addressed her claim to be from the future, which she had been grateful for it, but now due to her loose tongue the topic had reemerged. She sighed, "I learned about it in school, in history class." She finally said, figuring there was no point in avoiding the issue anymore.

Kenshin was absolutely silent for a moment as he digested that information. He still did not know what to make of her claim about being from the future… certainly she knew many things, and was very well educated for a woman – that had been apparent from their conversation earlier. Still, if she really was from the future, and she really had learned about him in a ‘history’ class, then…

Then that meant that she had learned about him. And she had known who and what he was all along.

Why hadn’t she run screaming? He was after all a monster.

He suddenly removed his hand from hers, startling her and she looked at him questioningly. He shook his head minutely in response. It wasn't anything she had done - he had just remembered how bloodied his hands were, and knew how… unworthy he was of even taking the smallest of comforts from her.

And then, in a smaller voice he continued, just to confirm what he already knew.

“You… you learned about me? All about me?”

Keiko was sad. She could see him withdrawing from her for some reason and it confused her. Hadn't they been getting along so well and were actually enjoying each others company? Then he asked the question that answered her own and she relaxed.

'Ah, I see,' She thought to herself.

"Don't”, she said, reaching out to retake his hand back in hers. “Please, don't turn away. It's true, I know all about your past... or rather, what's known about it as far as the history books go. But that doesn't mean that I hold it against you. Really, I know that you’ve changed your ways and to be honest, I admire you for that. It reminds me of someone I know. The first time we met was when he kidnapped me and at the time he had no qualms on killing me to get what it was he wanted. But then, later on, something happened and he changed his ways to the point where I trust him implicitly and am quite glad to be able to call him a friend."

'Okay, so maybe friend is stretching it a bit, but he doesn't have to know that.' She mused. Giving Kenshin's hand a light squeeze, Keiko looked into his eyes, hoping that he understood and believed her.

Something inside of him broke, and he found himself looking at her in a new light. She knew what he was, accepted him, and she was offering him comfort.

Comfort.

He hadn’t let anyone comfort him since Tomoe, and even then, the time they had together was painfully brief. It was only two days after they had become husband and wife in truth before she met her death at the end of his blade, after all.

It occurred to him that if Keiko was from the future, then his time with her would probably be even briefer. He tried to ignore the painful knot in his chest that thought caused. At any rate, she was with him now, and God knows that he did not deserve it, but a part of him couldn’t help but to think she had been sent specifically for him – someone to whom he could confess his sins.

A tenshi who would listen to him and not judge.

With suspiciously wet eyes, he leaned his head up against her shoulder… and told her everything.

Afterwards, Keiko was strangely quiet, but did not let go of his hand as they continued to watch the fire; the jug of sake all but forgotten.

Meanwhile, Kenshin was shaking from the mixture of shame, grief, and remorse that came with his confession. He turned his head to look at her, afraid that her eyes would show horror, or worse, fear, and awaited her response.

The glow from the fire place cast a golden radiance upon her face, giving it an ethereal appearance. Her brown eyes, shimmering with unshed tears, had remained fixed on the dancing flames. But as he looked up, her head turned so that their gazes locked and it was as if a window to her soul had been opened. Kenshin had to stifle a gasp at what he saw. There was no horror in her eyes -- no disgust or fear. Only... compassion.

Kenshin felt himself leaning forward as if on instinct. As his face loomed closer to hers, her beautiful brown eyes slowly fluttered closed, and her breathing quickened. Still, he kept his movements slow, allowing her ample time to pull away from him if she desired.

When their faces were but a hairs breadth apart from each other, he felt her warm breath ghost across his cheek as she slowly exhaled in preparation for his kiss. His own eyes fluttered closed as his nose touched the soft skin of her cheek in a gentle caress. His breaths were coming hot and fast as he gently brushed his lips against her full and slightly parted ones. Her lips were warm and pliant, and he made an inarticulate sound in his throat when he felt her shaking fingers comb through his hair before gently cupping the back of his head.

His heart was pounding as he increased the pressure of his lips against hers. She hadn’t pushed him away – amazingly she was responding to him, and in turn he was beginning to desire her with a fervor that was almost frightening in its intensity.

Kenshin had kissed before. And he had been kissed in return. But none of those kisses had felt as… complete… as the kiss he was sharing with the girl from the future. As if they were not only blending their lips together in a caress, but their souls.

He groaned when he felt her tongue dart out and sweep across his bottom lip. When he reached for her, his own hands were shaking, and he pulled her into his lap almost desperately. As he continued to worship her mouth with his own, he felt something he hadn’t felt for many, many years.

Content.

End Part II